Clarifying Complex
Identity & Authentication Flows in Yandex Fintech
Identity & Authentication Flows in Yandex Fintech
In this case study, I’ll show how I brought clarity and predictability to high-stakes identity and authentication flows in a large fintech ecosystem — where security is critical, systems are fragmented, and users vary widely in technical confidence.
To comply with my NDA, some details have been changed. The approaches described here reflect my own work and do not necessarily represent Yandex’s official position.
Overview
Yandex is a leading IT company in Russia with a large ecosystem of digital products and services, including e-commerce, banking, mobility, travel, entertainment, subscriptions, and loyalty programs.
In 2025, I worked in the Identity unit, which builds authentication and identification solutions used across this ecosystem. Each product evolved independently — with its own logic, tone of voice, design system, and platform constraints. For users, however, everything appears under a single brand: Yandex.
By 2025, the Identity unit faced several strategic goals:
- Increase the number of fully identified users ready for banking and credit scenarios (target: 20M+)
- Reduce operational costs by replacing expensive or unreliable verification methods
- Support new products — including the Yandex ID app and the Financial Platform — that depend on secure, user-friendly identification
- Although the underlying systems differed by OS, device type, entry point, and verification source, identity needed to feel seamless and trustworthy everywhere.
